Coming June 18th - Davenport Designs

Former Sheriff's Office detective Ray Davenport now owns the Wood U gift shop on Victoria Square, but it’s his talented younger daughters who steal the show with their displays and packaging designs. The girls believe they can earn money with their window-dressing skills for the other businesses on the Square, but the only merchant who hires them conspires to reap the rewards of their labor without paying a cent. Will they have to swallow their pride and ask Katie Bonner for help to get what’s owed them?

Kindle US | Kindle Worldwide | Nook | Kobo | Smashwords

Coming on December 31st!

COMING DECEMBER 31st

A tattoo parlor on Victoria Square? Some of the merchants get steamed at the prospect, but could they be driven to kill to stop it? That's what the sheriff's office and Katie Bonner want to know when the building's owner is electrocuted with his own saw.

Meanwhile, tensions rise when a hot chef takes over the square's tea shop. Will Katie have three men vying for her affections, or will her rival take the tea cake?

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Books A Million | Indiebound 

Chapters/Indigo | Book Depository (Free Shipping Worldwide)

Kindle US | Kindle Worldwide | Nook | Kobo | Apple Books | Google Play

(Check out my website for ebook editions in the UK, AU, IE and NZ)

Watch the booktrailer!

The story behind the story - YULE BE DEAD

When my co-writer, Gayle Leeson, and I were deciding what we'd write about for Victoria Square #5, we made a conscious decision to set the book during the holidays.

I've written several short stories that take place during Christmastime, but never a whole novel. (You can check out all my holiday stories on my website. Just click this link.)

When I signed the contract, my publisher decided they didn't want to buy the rights to certain countries, which means that I could publish it in those countries on my own. (So I own the rights to the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and a few other countries.) That's why there are two different covers. (P.S. I like my cover better. How about you?)

Gayle and I make a great team and we're already in the home-stretch of writing Victoria Square #6 (Murder Ink).

Yule Be Dead is now available! Here's the description:

It's the holiday season, but not everyone is jolly--especially not Vonne Barnett. Her dead body has been found near Victoria Square. Katie Bonner, the manager of Artisan’s Alley, happens to be at the tea shop Vonne's mother, Francine, owns when the news is delivered.

Vonne left a trail of men behind her so the suspects are many--but the clues are few. A broken teacup* leads Katie to one of the suspects, but before she can investigate, she’s attacked. Katie may be closing in on a killer, but time is ticking because the killer is definitely closing in on her.


 GET IT NOW!

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books A Million | Chapters/Indigo | Book Depository

Kindle US | Kindle UK | Kindle AU  | Kindle Worldwide | Nook | Kobo | Apple Books


* The Broken Teacup is a short story in my companion series, Life on Victoria Square.

P.S.  I'm having a launch party today on my Facebook Group Page from 7 to 9 pm EST. Be there for the fun and the giveaways! Click this link to get there!

Get your copy right now: YULE BE DEAD

Yule Be Dead is now available! Here's the description:

It's the holiday season, but not everyone is jolly--especially not Vonne Barnett. Her dead body has been found near Victoria Square. Katie Bonner, the manager of Artisan’s Alley, happens to be at the tea shop Vonne's mother, Francine, owns when the news is delivered.

Vonne left a trail of men behind her so the suspects are many--but the clues are few. A broken teacup* leads Katie to one of the suspects, but before she can investigate, she’s attacked. Katie may be closing in on a killer, but time is ticking because the killer is definitely closing in on her.


 GET IT NOW!

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books A Million | Chapters/Indigo | Book Depository

Kindle US | Kindle UK | Kindle AU  | Kindle Worldwide | Nook | Kobo | Apple Books


* The Broken Teacup is a short story in my companion series, Life on Victoria Square.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

P.S.  I'm having a launch party today on my Facebook Group Page from 7 to 9 pm EST. Be there for the fun and the giveaways! Click this link to get there!

Nothing says lovin like something from the oven

I was speaking with my hairdresser the other day and she told me that her husband doesn't like to eat. She has to remind him to eat.

A person who doesn't like to eat??????????

If I smell cake/cookies/muffins/Yorkshire pudding and I gain weight. Therefore, I live vicariously through my characters who love to bake. Among them: Katie Bonner, Kathy Grant, and most recently Tricia Miles. These ladies are baking up a storm--and they can do it and not get fat because they have an audience they can feed. Katie has her vendors at Artisans Alley, Kathy has been experimenting with recipes for her B&B and feeding her friends Tori, Anissa, Noreen, and Paul. Tricia has her employees, Pixie and Mr. Everett (and when you read A Killer Edition, which will be out next year, this will become really obvious.)

But I like to bake, too. And the other day my neighbor, who has a huge garden, put out a little stand for veggies his family can't eat--and everything is FREE. It's so cute with a colorful umbrella to shade the veggies during the day. I picked up a zucchini, a very nice tomato, and a chili pepper. The zucchini was too big for stir fry, but I knew when I picked it up it was destined for zucchini muffins.

Who's my audience? Mr. L. He loves baked goods for breakfast and this will be my second batch of zucchini muffins this summer. In fact, I will need to make a double batch because it is such a big zucchini. That doesn't worry me!  Here's my recipe.

Zucchini Muffins
Ingredients
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 large eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
2 cups finely shredded unpeeled zucchini
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup dried currants or chopped raisins

Preheat oven to 350° In a bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Combine the egg and oil; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in the zucchini, walnuts and currants. Coat muffin cups with cooking spray or use paper liners; fill three-fourths full with batter. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.

Yield: 12 muffins

Who do you bake for? (And care to share a recipe, too?)

==========================================

Recipes to Die For: A Victoria Square Cookbook, was the first companion book I did for my New York Times bestselling  Victoria Square Mystery series. In it, Katie Bonner shares her favorite recipes, and those of her vendors and the merchants on Victoria Square, plus each contributors signature drink and anecdotes about their lives on Victoria square.

Treat yourself today!

Amazon (trade paperback)

Kindle | Kindle Worldwide | Nook | Kobo | iBooks

I turned it around FAST

Back in October, I put my latest Life On Victoria Square story, It's Tutu Much, for pre-order. But oddly enough, readers didn't seem interested in the story. I wondered if it was just the fact that the holidays were coming up, or if it might be the cover.  My beta readers liked the story and they liked the cover. But when it came to debut day, the pre-orders were 2/3 less than the previous three stories.

Something wasn't right.

I kept focusing on the wrong aspect of the story. I kept thinking it was about the children in the dance class, but the more I thought about it, the story is really about their teacher, Dana Milton.

I asked my review crew what they thought, and they were split. Some like the cover, some thought it looked like it was a children's story.  I didn't like hearing the latter, but I had to listen.  Although it's only been 10 days since the story has been out, the sales went right down the toilet. In fact, I've already had a couple of days without a single sale. That's not good.

So yesterday, I asked the members of my Facebook Group (Lorraine's Perpetual Tea Party -- if you haven't joined--why not???) what they thought of the current cover and a dummy cover I put together.  I'm no Photoshop wiz, and I couldn't get the ballet dancer to stay on a colorful background. After a lot of trial and error, I managed to get her on a gray background.

Readers thought the covers were bland. They wanted color. They wanted a proper tutu. They wanted whimsy. They did NOT want a photo on the cover. The original cover didn't mesh with the other covers in the series.

They were right.

However, that didn't tell me what I needed to convey to my cover designer. So, I decided to let her decide what to do. I told her what the readers said, I showed her what I had done, and let her play with it.

I love what she came up with. It's whimsical, it's bright, there's color -- and the ballet and tap shoes say there's more than just one kind of dance being taught in this studio.

Being quickly able to correct something like this is one of the best things about being an indie author.  Had this been a traditionally published story, it would have been stuck with a "bad" cover for eternity. I was able to turn it around in less than two weeks from publication.

Now, see if you're more interested in the story.
 
 Dana Milton opens a dance studio on Victoria Square. Can she teach her students kindness,  respect, and shuffling off to Buffalo, or is it all tutu much?

Kindle | Kindle Worldwide

Nook |  Kobo  | iBooks


What do you think?

Foodie Friday: Ruminations on Rhubarb

I had a load of fun putting together y little cookbook RECIPES TO DIE FOR: A Victoria Square Cookbook together. The odd thing is, most of the recipes are ones I really do use over and over again. (It's kind of nice to have them all in one place.)

It's springtime and for me that means fresh rhubarb. What an odd vegetable.  I never thought about it as a vegetable, since the only thing I use it for is desserts and chutney, but it really is a veggie, and the leaves are very, very poisonous.  (If you value your liver, never, EVER eat them.)  But the stalks are just fine to eat--and EXTEMELY tart! We've got rhubarb up the wazoo and I've been even tossing it in my green smoothies.  (Yes, VERY TART indeed.)

Mr. L is partial to rhubarb crisp. Here's my favorite recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup quick cooking rolled oats
½ cup melted butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 cups sliced rhubarb
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350°. In mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour, oats, butter, and cinnamon; mix together until crumbly. Press half of the brown sugar and oats mixture into a buttered 8-inch square baking dish. Top with the sliced rhubarb. In a saucepan combine 1 cup granulated sugar, cornstarch, and the 1 cup of water and vanilla. Cook together until the liquid is clear, then pour over the rhubarb. Top the rhubarb with remaining crumb mixture and bake for 45 to 55 minutes. Serve warm, and if desired, with a scoop of ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.

Yield:  4-6 servings.

Mmm-mmm good!

And in case you are interested in RECIPES TO DIE FOR, here are a few links.

Watch the video!  (Made by Ellery Adams and me!)

Trade PaperbackKindle US
Kindle Worldwide
Nook
iBooks
Kobo
Smashwords

P.S.  New recipe up on my Lorna Barrett Website from Bookmarked for Death.  Find it here!

Related articles

Hey, It's Foody Friday

Foodie Friday: Dahl ain't Dull!

Let's toast to the winner!

First things first:  The winner of the Katie Bonner/Victoria Square teacup contest is:  Cherie Estok.

Winners of the Goody Bags are: Lorie Mink, Jessie Dimovski, Carla Rotmans, Candace Vachon, Madlyn Hilton, Pat Stacey, and Susan DeGraaf.

I'll be mailing them out tomorrow.

Did you missing my blog February 18th?  In it, I talked about the little figurines mentioned in Sentenced to Death, the Dolly Dolittles.  Even though no one asked, I've decided that I'd like to do more of that kind of blog post.  Why?  After 8 years of blogging, I've pretty much exhausted things about myself.  But I can wax poetically for years to come when it comes to my characters.

In the coming weeks, I'm going to try to set up a schedule for regular posts on the Victoria Square, Booktown, and Jeff Resnick mysteries.  Today, the Jeff Resnick Mysteries are on deck, and mostly because I've started a new Facebook page to celebrate the series.  Come on over and LIKE Jeff.

Jeff works as a bartender in a little hole-in-the-wall sports bar called THE WHOLE NINE YARDS on Main Street in Synder, NY.  It's mostly a beer joint, but occasionally someone comes in and orders a cocktail.  If I wandered in, I'd likely order a gin martini.  (I'm old fashioned.  That's a martini in my book--nothing with sickly-sweet flavored liqueurs.  Ick!)

At The Whole Nine Yards, you're going to get the traditional 2-to-1 version:

1 1/2 ounces of gin (well, unless you specify*)
1/2 ounce dry vermouth**

Stir (or shake) the vermouth and gin over ice in a cocktail shaker. Strain into a martini glass.  Serve with a twist of lemon peel or (preferably) 2 queen olives skewered by a toothpick.

Voila!  You've got a traditional martini.  (Yum!)

What drink would you order?





*I like Gordon's Gin, but the English version--not the kind we get here in the states.  Too bad about that actually.

**Noel Coward was reported to have said that the ideal martini should be made by "filling a glass with gin then waving it in the general direction of Italy."  (Source:  Wikipedia) Added side note: earlier this year I got to see Coward's home and gravesite.
.

Teacup contest -- will you win?

I'm always trying to engage my readers in a little conversation.  So lately I've been posting "a teacup a day" on my Lorraine Bartlett author page.  (BTW, I also have Facebook pages for Lorna Barrett, L.L. Bartlett, and the Jeff Resnick Mysteries (although that one is under construction right now).  I'd LOVE it if you'd come and like them.  Thanks!)

Readers seem to like the teacups.  LIke this one:


and this one:


My character, Katie Bonner of the Victoria Square Mysteries, always aspired to be an innkeeper, and one who served afternoon tea.  Since she isn't yet an inkeeper, she patronizes the teashop on Victoria Square.

All this talk of teacups gave me an idea about author giveaways.  I'm not fond of giving books away, but I do like to reward my readers for their loyalty and support.  (You guys are great.)

So, I'm going to give away this teacup (BELOW):
 


In addition to the teacup, I'll send out 5 Goody Bags full of bookmarks, postcards, and buttons to the runners up.

 Enter now for a chance to win! 

Tell me the name of the tea shop in my first Victoria Square Mystery, A Crafty Killing.   Email your answer to me at:  LLB @ LLBartlett.com  (remember to close up those spaces).  Be sure to include your snail mall address so I can mail the prizes.  (P.S.  Those not already on my mailing list will be added--and you'll receive a postcard when my next book is out.)

BONUS QUESTION:  The names of the owners. (The winner will get the cup AND a goody bag!)

DO NOT put your answer in the blog comments. 

YOU WILL NOT WIN.

You have until midnight on Thursday, February 28th, to enter the contest.  Mr. L will choose the winners from a hat, and they will be announced on Friday, March 1st.

Good Luck!
.

One Hot Murder released today!

Happy Book Day to me,
Happy Book Day to me,
Happy Book Day One Hot Murder,
Happy Book Day to me!

At long last, the third Victoria Square book is available today.

At the height of the heat wave, a tragic fire strikes Victoria Square. Wood U, a small store selling wooden gifts and small furniture, is destroyed. But the fire may just be a smokescreen—for murder. Because a body is found among the charred wreckage—and the victim didn’t die from smoke inhalation. He was shot. Now Katie Bonnier is determined to smoke out a cold-hearted killer…
 
To order your copy, click one of the following links:
Barnes & Noble ~ Nook
Amazon ~ Kindle
Books A Million
Indigo / Chapters
Book Depository (Free shipping worldwide!)
iTunes
IndieBound

Want to read more about Katie Bonner and the rest of the gang from Victoria Square?  Check out my website.

Happy reading!

One week and counting!

Weeeee!  Just one week stands between me and book launch day for ONE HOT MURDER.  The postcards will be going out on Wednesday.  If you don't receive one and want to for the next book out (which will be NOT THE KILLING TYPE in July), sign up for my mailing list.  You can do it right here on this blog (scroll down -- you'll see the sign-up form on the right) and join. 

I don't know about you, but it's been cold enough that I'm longing for summer heat -- and that's just when ONE HOT MURDER takes place.  To refresh your memory, here's a brief description of the book. 

At the height of the heat wave, a tragic fire strikes Victoria Square. Wood U, a small store selling wooden gifts and small furniture, is destroyed. But the fire may just be a smokescreen—for murder. Because a body is found among the charred wreckage—and the victim didn’t die from smoke inhalation. He was shot. Now Katie Bonnier is determined to smoke out a cold-hearted killer…

To pre-order your copy, click one of the following links:

Barnes & Noble ~ Nook
Amazon ~ Kindle
Books A Million
Indigo / Chapters
Book Depository (Free shipping worldwide!)
iTunes
IndieBound

Happy reading!
.

One hot Goodreads Giveaway

You know what?  My Lorraine name has been in print for almost two years.  Well, you wouldn't know it by my website hits.  And that's why I spent the last week talking with my web designer.  We did an overhaul, and you can see the results here:  LorraineBartlett.com
Go on, take a look -- then come back and tell me what you think.

And in another effort to get the Lorraine name out there, I'm participating in a book giveaway over at Goodreads.  I'm giving away TWELVE advance review copies of ONE HOT MURDER:

Katie Bonner, the reluctant manager of Artisans Alley in the quaint shopping district of Victoria Square, is no stranger to ambivalence ambivalence. Things have been going hot and heavy with pizza maker Andy Rust—so much so that Katie has moved in over his pizza parlor. But now that summer’s ushered in a heat wave, an apartment above pizza ovens without an air conditioner is making Katie hot and bothered.

At the height of the heat wave, a tragic fire strikes Victoria Square. Wood U, a small store selling wooden gifts and small furniture, is destroyed. But the fire may just be a smokescreen—for murder. Because a body is found among the charred wreckage—and the victim didn’t die from smoke inhalation. He was shot. Now—despite making Detective Ray Davenport hot under the collar—Katie is determined to smoke out a cold-hearted killer…

How do you enter?  If you're a member of Goodreads, you log in and click on the link for the book.  They also ask that you add the book to your to-be-read list. 

What's the point of all this?  To get my name out there.  A lot of cozy readers still don't know that Lorraine and Lorna are the same.  A lot of my L.L. Bartlett readers don't even know about Lorraine or Lorna.  I want them to know all three names.

I'll be updating my Lorna Barrett site in the next couple of weeks, and getting new Facebook banners.

Stay tuned!
.

A Cookbook With A New Look

Sometimes we make mistakes.  It's a good thing that some mistakes can be corrected.
For example, the cover for Recipes To Die For: A Victoria Square Cookbook.  The picture I chose for the original cover.  It was ... okay.  The cover designer did a great job with my poor choice.  She added a little noose to my name, she made a nice "sign" for the cookbook, but for some reason the whole thing just didn't "sing" for me.  But, up it went.  Sales have been lackluster.

I've been thinking about changing the cover for a long time.  What held me back so long?  The box of bookmarks I had made up.  You see, I've only used about half of them.  But finally I decided--the heck with that.  I want my cookbook to find its way into the hearts and homes of my readers, so I started hunting for a new cover picture.

I don't have the resources of a big publishing company.  They have a marketing department.  There's just me.  I don't have a marketing degree.  I don't have years of experience when it comes to marketing a book.  But I do know when it's time to change a cover.  I spent a couple of days going through stock photo sites, trying different keywords, until I came upon one that seemed to work.  Next up, getting Mr. L to play with the concept.

My second choice of cover was a purple-blue close up of a silverware pattern.  Mr. L said right off the bat, "I don't think that's it."  But he was game to try.  He was right.  He liked my first choice, and I think it worked out well.

It's already up on Kindle, Nook, and Smashwords, and should eventually filter through to the other e booksellers.  The new cover should be up for the print version in a couple of days.  (It takes longer to do than an E cover.)

So, what do you think?  Do you like it better than the original cover?  Would you be enticed to buy the book with its new cover?

Ucoming story teasers . . .

I have two books to write in the coming months.  This is the week I've set aside to write the synopses.

I hate writing synopses.

For one thing, I'm a pantster.  That means I write the book by the seat of my pants.  I figure if I know everything about the book before I write it, I'll get bored.  I like being surprised by the characters and events.  It's a PITA when it comes to rewrites and continuity, but it's a lot more fun.

But, I have to write them anyway.  Usually the main story idea stays, it's the little details that change.  Like the murderer.  I can't tell you how many times I've thought, "this person did it," only to hand the book in with another killer all together.

Right now I'm stuck on the murder in the Booktown #7, but I have all the juicy subplots figured out. (They're the most fun for me.)  I've spent a lot of the past few days thinking about Victoria Square #4.  I know how it opens, I know who dies and how, but I haven't figured out whodunit.

One thing's for sure, I'm going to have some fun writing both.

Spoilers?  Let me just say that Victoria Square opens up on a beautiful day at the new marina.  Katie has gone sailing with Seth.  On the dock, she meets up with an old acquaintance, who will later be found dead on Victoria Square.  (Don't they always?)  You would be right if you think the marina will be one focal point in the story.

Interested so far?

And just to tease you a little ... what do you think of the cover of One Hot Murder, Victoria Square #3?

Hontest, I DON'T have a split personality

My next Victoria Square Mystery, THE WALLED FLOWER, will be out in less than two months.  It's time for me to get on the promotion bandwagon and start shouting out the news.  And yet, as I do this, I wonder if it's worth the effort.

I will send out bookmarks to independent bookstores.  I will send postcards to readers.  I'm thinking about sending postcards to libraries.

I love this book.  I think it's a really good book.  I think it's got a nice cover.

And I believe that at least 50% of Lorna Barrett's readers have no clue that Lorraine Bartlett and Lorna Barrett are the same author.

Why do I think this?

Because I don't get a lot of hits on my Lorna Website. The readers who do go there don't dig deep to find my Alter Ego page.  (Which I just destroyed and am in the process of rebuilding ... sigh ....)

My publisher isn't going to spend any money, time or effort to get the word out.  I've tried unsuccessfully for the past three years to get the word out with limited success.

It's been said the best form of advertising is word of mouth.  So I'm asking my reader to PLEASE help me get the word out.  How can you do that?  If you've enjoyed my books, tell other people about them.  It's as simple as that.

Will you help me?

(Thank you!)
.

If Suspense Magazine says so ... it's gotta be true, right?

I got my issue of Suspense Magazine the other day ... and guess what?  I'm featured in it!

A CRAFTY KILLING was deemed one of the best novels of 2011. 


To say I'm thrilled is putting it mildly.  I'm ecstatic!  This novel has a special place in my heart.  It was a Malice Domestic finalist that sat on the shelf for way too long a time. It was only because the Booktown Mysteries did so well that it sold, for it had been rejected by everybody -- not because of the writing, but because it was set in an antiques arcade.  All I had to do was change the venue and BINGO!  It sold.

I've watched the sales and am sad to say they don't come anywhere near the Booktown sales.  That's because nobody knows who Lorraine Bartlett is. I'm hoping the mention in Suspense Magazine will help that. Because now I'm thinking about the sequel, THE WALLED FLOWER, which will be out in two months.  (And right now two months seems like a l-o-n-g time from now, but I know before I know it, it'll be summer again, and then fall and winter and ... holy smoke!  Where does the time go?)

Anyway, it feels really good for my work to be acknowledged by one of the mystery magazines.  (If you get the magazine, it's in the December issue, Page 32.)

Recipes To Die For -- A Video!

Years ago I had stars in my eyes and went to Hollywood.  Okay, Santa Monica ... close enough.  I worked for a movie studio (20th Century Fox) in their Script Department. I wanted to learn to churn out scripts and make it big.

The only problem was, I soon learned that once you write and sell a script, it's no longer yours.  They can do anything they damn well please with your work and it won't resemble your original idea in the least.
Besides that, LA is a HUGE, impersonal, lonely place.  I didn't last long there and except for the first couple of weeks after leaving, I haven't regretted my decision to return to Western NY.  (And I've never been back . . . although I have been to northern California. Very nice!)

Things have changed.  Now you can make your own movies on your computer.  Well, I can't.  (I probably could if I had the patience to learn how.)  But my friend Ellery Adams can!  Over the weekend, we finished our third collaboration. A book trailer for Recipes to Die For: A Victoria Square Cookbook.

I came up with the pictures and the script.  Ellery tweaked the script (she's marvelous that way), put the pictures together, with the text, and picked out two different soundtracks.  I chose the jazz piano one because I really like piano music.  (Wish I could've learned to sight read . . . )

Anyway, here's the finished product.



So, do you like it?

BTW, RECIPES TO DIE FOR is available in print and for all ebook formats.

Recipes To Die For a reality at last!

The other day, I got my proof copy of RECIPES TO DIE FOR: A Victoria Square Cookbook.  My first reaction was:  Gosh, it's cute!  First of all, the cover pops right out at you.  I love the logo my cover designer made--which sort of reminds me of the covers on the Booktown Mysteries.  But I also love the noose hanging from my name, too.

Although it's a paperback, it's not a mass-market paperback (the size of the novels--this one is bigger...trade size).  One of the complaints I get about the paperbacks is that the type size is too small.  Fear not, this is readable.

But what makes this cookbook special?  (And believe me it is NOT a mystery.  It's a companion piece to the Victoria Square Mystery series.)  The book starts out by introducing quite a few of the characters from the series and giving the reader information that isn't included in the books.  Katie's introduction tells how she came to live with her beloved great aunt Lizzie, and her love of baking.  But you'll find out (hopefully) interesting facts about people like Luther Collier, who owns the local funeral parlor, and vendors Liz and Gwen, who have a much greater presence in the third book than the first two.  But Ida Mitchell, the tag room manager, contributes a couple of her favorite recipes, too.

And the print book differs from the e book because it has graphics.  (I wonder if you can guess what recipe this graphic represents?)

I had a lot of decisions to make about the pricing of the book.  One thing I wanted to do was keep the cost down.  Hey, these are tough times, but the distribution options weren't as attractive as I would have hoped.  In order to make the book available to many retail organizations, the MINIMUM I had to charge was $6.99.  (I may yet have to charge that, but for the now the book costs $5.99.)  Even then, I would make only 17 cents per copy sold.

Therefore, I've chosen to only make it available from My e Store (via the publisher) and on Amazon.  I know--a lot of people don't like Amazon, but selling it on the Barnes & Noble site means I'd only make that same 17 cents a copy, and let's face it ... the author should make more than 17 cents a copy on a book sold.

The book went live just last night My E Store, where it can now be ordered (and where I'll get the highest royalty).  By next week it should show up on Amazon.  I'll let you know when that happens.  But for now, if you'd like to order a print copy of the book, you can find it here.

It's also available as an e book from:  Kindle ~ Nook ~ Smashwords (which has can be downloaded for all e formats).

I hope you'll give Recipes To Die For a chance!
 .

I know it's autumn because . . .

Okay, to be technical--fall doesn't arrive until Friday, but it officially arrives for me today.  Why?
The pool gets closed.

Why does that make me sad when I haven't gone swimming in the thing for at least five years?  Because the pool uncovered is a beautiful thing.  Especially this year because we paid to have it cleaned every other week.  It sparkles.  But when it's closed, it's ugly.  It's a blunt reminder that SUMMER IS OVER and we're going TO FREEZE FOR MONTHS ON END.

I hate pool closing.

But . . . the seasons must change.  It's time to think about other things.  We'll soon be going down to our basement pub in the evenings.  It's got the world's most comfortable couch, a bar, tons of books and magazines to read, music, TV--it's like a 2nd living room.  (Okay, we already have three other living rooms, but it's my favorite one.)

What event marks the end of summer for you?
_______________________________________
BTW, RECIPES TO DIE FOR: A Victoria Square Cookbook is now available for Nook.  Will have an update on the print version in the next couple of days.
.

Recipes To Die For is now available ... sort of

Okay, when I said I was shooting for October 1st, I had no idea things would come together so fast for my Victoria Square cookbook, Recipes to Die For.

Well, not exactly.  Amazon uploaded the book in less than six hours, which has to be a record.  Smashwords is always fast, but then you wait for a long time to see if you make it to the Premium Catalog (which means they distribute it to places like Sony, Kobo, Diesel and Apple.  Still waiting on that.)  As I write this, I'm still waiting for Barnes & Noble to upload it for Nook.  The last time I uploaded to them, it took three weeks.  I nagged and nagged, but they weren't going to put that story up until they were good and ready, I guess.

The print version could be ready as soon as next week.

I decided to do a print version because so many of my readers have said they don't have e readers and don't plan on getting them, either.  The only problem is, the price tag is higher than I would have liked.  And I decided NOT to make the book available to libraries and other bookstores simply because I would lose 23 cents for every book sold.  I just can't afford to do that.  So, the price tag is $5.99, which still seems high to me, but it was the cheapest I could make it and not lose money.

So, if you'd like to purchase the book right now, it's available on Kindle and (for all e formats) Smashwords.  I'll let you know when the print version is available.

I hope you'll like getting to know not only Katie Bonner better, but her vendors and friends on Victoria Square.  And ... maybe try a recipe or two while you're at it.

Thank you!
.